Best regards, Andrew Stewart
Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <[email protected]> > Date: February 22, 2021 at 6:25:25 PM EST > To: [email protected] > Cc: H-Net Staff <[email protected]> > Subject: H-Net Review [H-Podcast]: Clevenger on Pete Burton (Producer), > 'Re-Cycle: The cycling history podcast' > Reply-To: [email protected] > > Pete Burton (Producer). Re-Cycle: The cycling history podcast. > Issy-les-Moulineaux, France Eurosport, 2019-2020. Podcast. > > Reviewed by Samuel Clevenger (Towson University) > Published on H-Podcast (February, 2021) > Commissioned by Robert Cassanello (he/him/his) > > As an early career historian of sport with an interest in podcasting, > I was excited to be asked to write a review of the cycling podcast > _Re-cycle_. A well-produced podcast created by the European sports > media network Eurosport, each episode of _Re-cycle_ recounts a > dramatic, seminal, or controversial moment in the history of cycling > in Europe. The episodes typically consist of a narrator reading a > historical account written by the cycling journalist Felix Lowe, with > each account filled with intimate detail about the cyclists, their > lives, and the cycling events. The episodes use a minimal amount of > other forms of sound beyond the narrator reading Lowe's written > account, which means that the voice of the narrator Graham Willgoss, > who hosts other Eurosport podcasts, is the primary means of conveying > the information and the drama of the stories to the listener. This > was a bit disappointing for someone who has a nominal understanding > of cycling history, for the podcast presents itself as covering some > of the most compelling moments in cycling--to name just a few, there > are episodes devoted to the 1980 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium > and the story of Jacques Anquetil, the first cyclist to win all the > "Grand Tour" races (the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia in Italy, > and the Vuelta a España in Spain). _Re-cycle_'s dependence on a > narrator reading a pre-written script represents perhaps its > fundamental weakness as a sports podcast, for the episodes come off > more like chapters of an audiobook and miss an opportunity to enliven > the stories through produced sound. > > To write this review, I listened to five episodes: the first and last > episodes of each of _Re-Cycle_'s first two seasons, and an episode in > the middle of the second season. As of January 2021, the podcast has > released two total seasons of content, with a third season scheduled > for this year. With a total of thirty-three produced episodes, five > episodes is admittedly a small sample of the podcast. However, my > interest is not just in the content of _Re-Cycle_, but in its > effectiveness and value as a sports podcast. Though I research and > teach the history of sport, I possess barely a cursory understanding > of the history of modern competitive cycling (and I consider that > characterization quite generous). My interest, rather, is in the > academic value of _Re-Cycle _as a podcast and an example of > communicating sport history through produced sound. There are an > increasing number of academics who are realizing the still-untapped > potential of podcasting with their research practice and > promotion.[1] Thus, I listened to _Re-Cycle_ focusing on the > podcast's effectiveness in terms of its production quality and its > ability to communicate a sporting context like cycling through > digital audio. > > Each episode's narrative overflows with the minute details of > cyclists and cycling events. This is not surprising given that Lowe > has extensively covered the sport of cycling for years and wrote a > book about his personal experience cycling some of Europe's famous > routes.[2] The listener learns about the thought processes of > cyclists, the weather conditions of rides and events, the grueling > circumstance of the rides and their impact on the cyclist's health, > and the various opinions and perspectives of riders and sport leaders > involved. There are few moments in which the narrator pauses or > different forms of sound (music, soundscape, clips of events, news > coverage, or interviews) are introduced, but for the most part there > is a short opening of theme music and a brief playing of ambient > sound of presumably a cycling race, followed by the narrator Willgoss > reading Lowe's written account until the end of the episode. This > makes the episodes often difficult to follow due to the intricate, > almost tedious amount of detail of specific cyclists, races, and > events. Numerous times I found myself having to pause and replay > episodes because I was lost or confused about the story. Moreover, > the stories are rarely situated within broader historical context, > and when they are the discussion of context is brief and undeveloped. > The lack of contextualization and absence of other forms of produced > sound lead me to think that _Re-Cycle _is specifically tailored for a > niche audience of cycling fans who are already immersed in the > history and culture of the sport. Listeners who are unfamiliar with > European cycling will have difficulty following along with each > narrative's narrow focus and faster pace of the narration, and there > are rarely pauses in the narration or an inclusion of historical > audio clips that allow for reflection or a discussion of context. > > For example, I listened to the January 9, 2020, episode, "Kidnappings > and controversy: South America's first Grand Tour winner." I began > the episode hoping to learn more about the international politics of > cycling: why was it not until 1987 that a South American--Colombia's > Luis "Lucho" Herrera--won a Grand Tour? What did Herrera's victory > signify in terms the growth of cycling in Colombia and South America? > The episode, however, provided little explanation of broader issues > or context. Instead, the narrator provides detail after detail about > Herrera's cycling career--the contests he won, his physical > attributes and gifts as a cyclist--and the 1987 Vuelta a España. At > one point, Willgoss talks about how one competitor struggled with a > saddle sore in the days surrounding the race, how it was painful and > became infected and filled with fluid. This nugget of information, if > subsequently contextualized, could have potentially provided a > fascinating look at the role of pain and physical ailments in the > experience of competitive cycling. Unfortunately, the narrator > introduces the issue as one of numerous details about the event and > does not give any time to reflect or explain the significance of the > issue to the history of cycling. Toward the end of the episode, the > listener also learns that Herrera was kidnapped in 2000 by the > Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia--People's Party. Again, the > narrator details the kidnapping itself, but gives little discussion > or contextualization about the national politics of Colombia and just > how the sport of cycling became embroiled in Colombian national > conflicts with guerilla groups. This happened numerous times in the > episodes: instances of fascinating detail that were left without > analysis, reflection, or contextualization. > > As a podcast about sports, _Re-Cycle_ would benefit from interweaving > varied forms of produced and ambient sound with each narrative. If a > sporting experience is anything, it is an affective and sensory-laden > experience: participants sweat, physically exert themselves, feel > pain, struggle to persevere, experience the intense effects of rain, > heat, and wind. Outdoor cycling events, often involving difficult and > physically demanding routes, would qualify as one of the more > affective sporting experiences. Moreover, sound is affective: the > waves and reverberations impinge on the body, move the body in > various ways.[3] Certainly, the sound of a person's voice can affect > a listener in important ways, but so can music, clips of historical > events and interviews with cyclists, and ambient soundscape. One need > only look at the some of the popular public radio podcasts like _This > American Life_,_ Snap Judgment_, and _Radiolab_ for examples of how > interwoven music and soundscape can enliven the emotional power of > the story. Listening to the narrowed focus and rich detail of the > _Re-Cycle _episodes, I wondered whether written narratives are the > most effective way of conveying the affective dimensions of sport, > and whether digital audio forms like podcasts can be wielded to more > effectively convey those dimensions. > > Ultimately, _Re-Cycle _is a sport podcast geared toward cycling > fanatics and is unfortunately of limited value to academics and > researchers of sport. Historians and researchers will surely find > useful detail related to notable moments and the biographies of > famous cyclists, but the episodes do not provide enough discussion of > historical context to inform research. The episodes also > predominantly focus on the experiences of male cyclists and the men's > cycling contests, leaving little insight into more critical questions > like gender inequality and the gendered dynamics of cycling. However, > this is from the perspective of a historian of sport who approached > the podcast in terms of its significance to academic study of > podcasting and sports. For those keen to learn the intricate details > of some of the more dramatic and controversial moments in the history > of cycling, they would do well to check out the podcast. > > Notes > > [1]. Dario Llinares, Neil Fox, and Richard Berry, eds., _Podcasting: > New Aural Cultures and Digital Media _(New York: Palgrave Macmillan, > 2018). > > [2]. Felix Lowe, _Climbs and Punishment: Riding to Rome in the > Footsteps in Hannibal _(London: Corgi Books, 2015). > > [3]. Michael Gallagher, "Sound as Affect: Difference, Power, and > Spatiality," _Emotion, Space and Society _20 (2016): 42-48. > > Citation: Samuel Clevenger. Review of Pete Burton (Producer), > _Re-Cycle: The cycling history podcast_. H-Podcast, H-Net Reviews. > February, 2021. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55752 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#6635): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/6635 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/80841211/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
